Street-indicator.



c. c. HAYS. STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-17. 1915.

l 1 88,934. Patented June 27, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

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*q N N WITNESSES.- ED i/VI/ENTUI? ATTORNEYS C. C. HAYS.

STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-17, 1915.

1,188,984, Patented June 27,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I 3 H E M. Q G

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CHARLES C. HAYS, 0F TRINIDAD, COLORADO.

STREET-INDICATOR.

Application filed September 17, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. HAYS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Trinidad, in the county of Las Animas and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Streetlndicators, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to indicators, and more particularly to street indicators for electrical railway cars, my object being to promote automatic indication of each succeeding street along the line of travel of a car, by simple and inexpensive means which may be installed in a car and its automatic actuation provided for, with minimum change to the car and its apparatus as constituted, before my invention. To this end, I propose an arrangement including simple, inexpensive and effective indicator for installation within a car, capable of ready and quick attachment at a convenient point therein and including an electrical operating member, the actuation of which may be accomplished through the use of trolley actuated parts.

The several parts of my invention as thus generally outlined, will be better understood by reference to the following specific description thereof in order, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View through the ear carried indicating arrangement. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken through one side of the car carried mechanism, substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 8. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the car carried mechanism, and Fig. l is a detail through one of the indicating leaves and its frame.

Referring now to these figures, each of the car carried mechanisms consists of a supporting frame G including upright and horizontal beams G centrally upon the latter of which are supported bearings G for a shaft H, this shaft having a portion extending laterally beyond the frame G and provided with a bifurcated extremity H supporting a transverse pin 1 upon which is intermediately pivoted a clamping member including diametrically extending arms I with rounded outer ends for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Mounted upon the extending portion of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1916..

Serial No. 51,265.

the shaft H above described, is a cylindrical holder J adapted to support an inclicator spool including an inner cylinder K and an outer cylinder K, both of which are of considerably greater length than the cylindrical holder J, and the inner cylinder K of which spool is of slightly greater length than the outer cylinder K. The inner cylinder K has an outwardly projecting lug K which works in an elongated slot K in the outer cylinder K, thus providing for their relative longitudinal adjustment within the limits of the slot K the inner cylinder K fitting at either end upon the cylindrical holder J before mentioned and being clamped in position by movement of the clamping member at the extremity of shaft H, the rounded ends of the arms I of which engage the inner periphery of the inner cylinder K at diametrically opposite points as clearly seen by reference to Fig. l. The outer cylinder K has outwardly projecting annular flanges K at its opposite ends through which project the outer angularly bent ends L and L of cross rods L, supporting rigid outstanding grooved strips L and constituting with these strips leaf carrying frames for receiving the indicating leaves lL upon which the names of the streets appear.

It will be noted that the angular ends L and L of the cross rods L are bent in relatively opposite directions as clearly indicated in Fig. 4, thus providing for reversal of the spool upon the cylindrical holder J by first releasing the clamping arms I, withdrawing the spool from the holder, adjusting the inner and outer cylinders of the spool with respect to one another, so that one end of the inner cylinder projects beyond that end of the outer cylinder which is to be next to the inner end of the cylindrical. holder J suiiicient to form proper bearing for the respective bent ends of the cross rods L, the outer ends of the inner and outer cylinders K and K being flush as indicated in Fig. 1 when the parts are properly adjusted with respect to one another for operation.

The shaft H is intermittently rotated through mechanism including a ratchet wheel M secured on this shaft within the frame G as clearly seen in Fig. 1, and at one side of which ratchet wheel M is a vertically reciprocating member N, the

lower portion of which constitutes an armature and operates within a solenoid N suitably energized at proper times.

The vertically reciprocating member N 5 carries an intermediate operating pawl N acted upon by a spring N to maintain the same in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel M. Thus each time the member N is lowered through the energization of solenoid N, pawl N 2 causes movement of the ratchet wheel M a distance equal to one tooth to bring the succeeding leaf L into vertical position across the top of the indicating spool. At the relatively opposite side of the ratchet Wheel M is a dog M which prevents reverse movement of the ratchet wheel and consequently of shaft H when the member N moves upwardly, upon its release, under actuation of a leaf spring N mounted upon one of the horizontal frame beams G and between the same and an angular bracket N carried by the vertically reciprocating member N, and which limits its lowering movement, a similar bracket N beneath the beam G serving to limit upward movement of member N under actuation of the spring N just mentioned. Adjacent the upper end of the member N is a laterally projecting arm l 7 a'djustably clamped to member N at N and the outer endoof which arm engages and binds against the ratchet wheel M at the end of lowering movement of member N to prevent accidental movement of the ratchet 35] wheel beyond the desired point. Adjacent the member N, the lower end of an upright O is rigidly secured to the horizontal frame beams G just above mentioned, the upper end of this upright O carrying a horizontal T401 supporting arm extending above one end of the indicating spool in order to support at its outer extremity a recessed disk 0 in the recess of which the upper edge of each indicating leaf is received as it reaches '45} its uppermost indicating position, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This disk 0 has a side crank 0 connected by a rod 0 to one arm of a bell crank lever 0 the other arm of which is connected by a depending rod 0 to the upper end of the vertically reciprocating member N. Thus, as each leaf is brought to its uppermost indicating position, the preceding leaf is released from the recess of the disk 0 by rotative movement of this disk through lowering movement of the member N, the succeeding leaf first mentioned engaging against the disk 0 and being held thereby until received within its recess when the member N is again elevated under actuation of its spring N As seen in Figs. 1 and 3, the angular ends L of the several cross rods L, having bear ings upon the inner end of the inner cylinder K of the spool, force the indicating leaves and their carrying frames, to radial fee outstanding positions as they approach the uppermost indicating position, and permit the same to drop to angular positions as soon as they are successively released from their uppermost indicating positions under actuation of the disk 0 Thus also it will be seen that as a circuit is'completed through the solenoid N the latter will be energized, drawing its armature downwardly and rotating, through the connections above described, the ratchet wheel M to the extent of a single tooth. As soon, of course, as the solenoid circuit is broken, the reciprocating.member N is elevated through the action of its spring l 4 as above described, and the parts held in position until the next actuation. 7

Due to the reversibility of the'indicating spool, the same spool may, in reverse posiion, be utilized on the return trip, and from a careful consideration of the foregoing it will be seen that my improvements may be readily and quickly installed in connection with cars now in operation, and'with minimum change to the operating parts of the car, in addition to the fact that these improvements are capable of operation without interfering with such operating parts.

I claim 1. In a street indicator, a cylindrical ro tatable spool, a plurality of indicating leaf carrying frames disposed around and movably connected at their inner portions to the said spool and including cross rods having angular end portions bearing upon the spool to lift the said frames successively to upright positions at the top of the spool, means for intermittently rotating the said spool, including a vertically reciprocating member, and means for holding each leaf in upright indicating position as it reaches the top of the spool, said means including a disk having a recess receiving the upper edge of each successive leaf carrying frame, and having operative connection with the said verticallyreciprocating member whereby to successively release the leaf carrying frames for the purpose described. f

2. In a street indicator, a reversible cylindrical indicating spool, a plurality of indicating leaves disposed around, and movably connected at their inner portions to, the said spool, a cylindrical holder adapted to receive one end of the said spool, an intermittently rotated shaft upon which the said holder is secured, having a projecting end, and a clamping member carried by the said projecting end of the shaft for engagement with the inner periphery of the said indicating spool to removably hold the same upon the said holder.

3. In. a street indicator, a reversible cylindrical indicating spool, a plurality of indicating leaves disposed around, and movably connected at their inner ends to, the

said spool, a cylindrical holder upon Which one end of the said spool may be disposed, an intermittently rotated shaft upon which said holder is secured, having one end projecting beyond the holder and provided With a bifurcated extremity, a cross pin supported by the said bifurcated extremity of the shaft, and a clamping member intermediately journaled upon said pin and having oppositely projecting arms, the ends of which are adapted for clamping engagement With the inner periphery of the spool to removably hold the same upon the said holder.

4. In a street indicator, an intermittently rotated cylindrical holder, a cylindrical spool disposed on said holder and including inner and outer cylinders having limited relative movement in a longitudinal direction, the outer cylinder having annular end flanges, indicating leaves, and frames in Which said leaves are mounted, including cross rods journaled through the said cylin der flanges and having angular ends extending beyond the flanges and adapted for bearing upon the end portions of the inner cylinder of the spool, substantially as described.

5. In a street indicator, an intermittently rotated cylindrical holder, a reversible spool having outstanding end flanges, means for clamping said spool on said holder, movable leaf holding frames disposed around the spool and including cross rods journaled through said spool flanges and having angular oppositely bent ends adapted for bearing on portions of the spool, indicating leaves mounted in the said frames, and means for holding each leaf in upright indicating position as it reaches the top of the spool.

CHARLES C. HAYS.

\Vitnesses:

James N. HAYDEN, A. M. DAVIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

